MINSK, 30 March (BelTA) – The failure to invite Belarusian diplomats to attend commemorative events held in Germany to mark the 77th anniversary of liberation of the concentration camps Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora is not a simple escapade but a direct insult first and foremost of the nations of the countries, which made the decisive contribution to the downfall of fascism in Europe, BelTA learned from Press Secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Glaz.
According to the source, the Belarusian embassy in Germany received an official letter from the director of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation. The letter reads it would be undesirable for Belarusian diplomats to participate in the events the German side organizes to commemorate the liberation of these concentration camps. Anatoly Glaz said: “We believe this purely emotional and opportunistic decision cannot be justified by anything considering the millions of Belarusians, who died during World War Two and dozens of thousands of Belarusian prisoners of various concentration camps in Germany's territory, including Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora.”
According to Anatoly Glaz, the failure to invite Belarusian diplomats to such events is a direct insult primarily of the nations, which made the decisive contribution to the downfall of fascism in Europe. “It is a spit in the face of the people, who survived horrors of fascist concentration camps,” he said.
The official noted that Belarusian diplomats in Germany will honor memory of all the victims of Nazism and prisoners of concentration camps anyway, including Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora, just the way they did last year, for instance, when mass commemorative events did not take place due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“We sincerely hope that the Belarus-Germany dialogue about historical memory and mutual reconciliation will continue in the future. We hope that such emotionally charged decisions represent a one-time exception from the rule and will do no irreparable harm to this avenue of cooperation,” Anatoly Glaz concluded.
